By Rich Chrampanis
PHILADELPHIA – A successful season on the diamond for local teams extended into the summer as 16 players from The Two River Times area were part of the Jersey Shore All-Stars team that won the Philadelphia Phillies Carpenter Cup. The Major League Baseball franchise puts on an annual event featuring 16 teams of high school all-stars from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
With big leaguers like Mike Trout part of the Carpenter Cup alumni, it’s become a great honor to compete in this tournament and the Jersey Shore left no doubt who was the dominant team, winning four games in the single elimination tournament and scoring 36 runs along the way.
After two wins, Jersey Shore got the thrill of playing at the Phillies Citizens Bank Park in the semifinals against Olympic Colonial, scoring a 9-4 win. The championship game against the Tri-Cape All-Stars was postponed due to weather and moved to Philadelphia’s FDR Park. Despite not playing in a big league ballpark, the Jersey Shore still had stellar play with a dominating 8-1 win.
In the championship game, Red Bank Catholic’s Frank Scrivanic hit a home run in the first inning, right after Jackson Memorial’s Charlie Meglio went deep, to stake Jersey Shore to an early 2-0 lead. Rumson-Fair Haven’s Reece Moroney had an RBI in both the semifinals and title game. With five RBC players contributed on the offensive side, along with a trio of Middletown North hitters. And the Jersey Shore pitching staff was anchored by outstanding local talent: RBC’s Steve Svenson, Rumson-Fair Haven’s John Goodes, Red Bank Regional’s Nate Ruth, and Middletown South’s Ben Schild combined for seven innings, allowing just one run with nine strikeouts. Ruth was named the MVP of the tournament thanks to eight shutout innings, 12 strikeouts and just three walks over the four Jersey Shore victories.
“There was a lot of things going through my mind,” Ruth said. “One being that this is a great team effort. The individual accomplishments, they come with winning, so I’m glad that we can win this and we can go this far and make a name for myself.” Ruth closed out his high school career with a special memory as he goes on to a collegiate career at Felician University.
Schild, who won a state title and county championship in his career at Middletown South, recorded the final three outs. He’s on his way to the University of Connecticut.
This is the Jersey Shore’s sixth Carpenter Cup title, the first since 2017.
The article originally appeared in the July 6 – 12, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
